By Gary Linke
Now in its 5th year, the Gary Linke - AKA The Missing Linke - list of his favourite deals replaces the Radio Times as essential reading over the Christmas period.
Picking up the industry sources - otherwise known as gossip - some potential partnership acquisitions
have not resulted in signed contracts. These are uncertain times and boards and leadership teams
have been known to lose their bottle, or have a change of heart.
However, we have detected an admission from notable brands that partnerships are the way to go in
this fragmented world in terms of media and the scroll. Although they were confident that they're
much loved, iconic brands now need to tap into or partner with someone else’s more committed
audience such as Red Bull and their plethora of PL Football Club deals, and their front of shirt with Leeds United.
Gary’s Top 10 does not cover 'influencers' like Jack Grealish and Hellmann’s Mayo; or renewals
and extensions such as Barclays extending their sponsorship of both the Women’s Super League
and Women’s Championship, and their FA Girls Football School Partnerships - as well as partnering
with the Men’s Premier League, which is a 23-year association.
This blog post aims to bring attention to the new partnerships that create interest based on the fit and the creative thinking behind the joining of organisations together.
Deals are listed in alphabetical order.
1) Chanel and The Boat Race - luxury brands bridging the gap
The historic Oxford V Cambridge tussle (men’s and women’s) becomes “The Chanel J12 Boat Race”. J12 is the unisex Swiss watch from the house of Chanel and hence the deal also includes “Official
Timekeeper". The press release talks about “a shared philosophy” to develop talent, and of showcasing
creative expertise. Furthermore, another leap of faith in marketing terms is that the race depends on
craftsmanship and synchronicity - as does watchmaking.
However, this deal stands out due to the impact of a super-premium brand partnering with a free
sporting event watched by 200,000 people up and down the river along with a free-to-air UK TV
audience as well as coverage globally.
Chanel’s sponsorship certainly grabs attention and joins a plethora of luxury brands associated with
water sports, for example, Louis Vuitton and the Americas Cup, Rolex and Sail GP. Then you have LVMH with the Paris Olympics broadening its appeal to more diverse audiences.
Perhaps 'exclusivity' in terms of these brands being unobtainable for most is now going down the
wayside somewhat? Whilst you have to actually study/go to Oxford or Cambridge to get into the boat
race, this partnership has wide appeal amongst sports fans.
2) First Bus and Ipswich Town - All aboard the Premier League
Clubs and event owners have tried many transport schemes to help and/or subsidise fans to get to
the game, especially from main stations. Brentford FC have recently announced subsidised train fares
via The Trainline.com.
This is a multi-year partnership rather than season-long based on promotion. In my opinion more
travel companies should genuinely try and get the fans onside to build loyalty to their services outside
matchday.
In this case First Bus is not only offering Ipswich Town fans free park and ride but also will see First
Bus supporting the Ipswich Town Foundation.
In terms of Suffolk and its transport infrastructure challenges, I am sure that this partnership will result
in more public transport being used when people get to the game on time and save money on parking
near the ground. Of course, there is always a risk for a travel operator to associate directly with the event especially if traffic issues and people are late for the game. Clearly First Bus are benefiting from the buzz following promotion to the Premier League and gaining national exposure as well as fulfilling local needs and reducing emissions.
3) John West and Alzheimers Research UK- Inspiring a brain healthy nation
Clearly a brave move and like many, I have experienced a parent with Alzheimers.
The fish category has never really been on a sponsorship sales person’s top 100 potential leads
unless you work for Grimsby Town? Always felt that fish brands need to do more to take on the meat
eaters and accentuate the positives.
John West’s partnership will make the UK population think again about the product benefits of oily fish
especially if they have relatives and friends amongst the 1 million being diagnosed with Alzheimeirs.
In terms of brain health, oily fish has been proven to reduce dementia. This partnership enables the
link to be established with 13 million packs displaying the Alzheimers Research UK logo.
Besides raising awareness of the benefits of sardines, John West will also be donating £75,000 and
employees will be encouraged to fundraise through an education programme.
The partnership is so logical and has already resulted in me changing my wfh sandwich on occasions.
4) Kit Kat and Formula 1- Chocolate back again behind the wheel after taking a break.
Chocolate snacks and cars have a great history. If you are of a certain age you will remember that
before Yorkie was “ It’s not for girls” this other Nestle (Rowntrees to older readers) classic was
launched by handsome male lorry drivers devouring a new chunky bar as block chocolates became
thinner.
In this case, Kit Kat, a market-leading British countline, that is also a biscuit, has always tried to go
global without neglecting the Brits. As an ex-Nestle employee of the nineties, the four or two fingers
never travelled that well and came up against cultural resistance. Also “have a break, have a Kit Kat”
seemed to not hit home until the panda ad.
Now, the world sees similar ranges on the shelves from multi-nationals and more consolidation.
Formula 1 offers Kit Kat a global footprint, including expansion in the US market where UK brands can
come a cropper. Eating a Kit Kat whilst driving around a Formula 1 circuit is not to be advised.
However, the audience that watches Formula 1 will want to eat a tasty snack and put on the kettle
during the race and the build-up over the weekend. The attendees at the track are a captive audience
and I am sure any free chocolate will go down a treat.
Finally, with a long season, what a fantastic hospitality opportunity for trade marketing purposes to
secure that gondola end supported with an on-pack promotion to win tickets and capture data.
See the campaign here.
5) McVities Penguin Biscuit and ZSL p..p…p…-pick up a partnership
Obviously, I love a chocolate biscuit but I also I love a comeback! Brands often come back to deals
that made sense the first time and then did not survive through CEO’s and other new people wanting
to rattle cages.
In this instance, Penguin biscuits have previously supported animal charities, including the WWF as
well as ZSL (a conservation zoo). Been a gap of over 10 years since the last support of ZSL.
2024 has now seen a return to sponsor a most famous exhibit - the Penguin Beach at the London Zoo which has the emphasis of protecting penguins as McVities look to protect market share with a
nationwide promotion.
Whilst it might not seem to be hard to leverage a brand name with an appropriate property to make a partnership there is no substitute for simplicity.
Partnerships that have worked historically are a great way to rejuvenate a brand.
6) Newfoundland and Labrador Government and Barrow AFC - Canadian province with English heritage becomes Barrow in-Furness’s best friend.
This is yet another front of shirt football partnership that makes people look twice and cuts through on
the surprise element. What made the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador sign a two-
year deal with Barrow AFC?
Barrow are currently in mid-table in SKY Bet EFL League 2 but the global pull of English (and Welsh)
clubs has certainly helped. The new broadcast deal with SKY delivers a guaranteed 20 live league
games for L2 clubs who also play in three cup competitions. They played against Chelsea in the
Carabao Cup in September and witnessed a significant growth in website traffic and replica shirts sold
out.
Furthermore, front of shirt sponsors feature in the top-selling EA Sports FC video game.
The press release and coverage waxes lyrical on this alliance. “Two hard working blue -collar
communities coming together”. With Canada co-hosting the FIFA World Cup in the summer of 2026
they’re probably hoping that football fans will extend their stay and fall in love with the province.
Certainly, the enthusiasm from the Ministers of Tourism and Immigration is well intended here and
plans are afoot for exchange programmes and tours.
7) Nuby and the Sunderland AFC Women’s Team – Leading Baby Cup brand creates a first
Another front of shirt but I couldn’t resist featuring this one as this is first time a baby brand has
sponsored a football shirt. Nuby range of cups are a best seller for babies and toddlers.
Instead of “happy hour” it is “nappy hour” and with several men’s football club shirts in the
Championship populated by gambling brands this is a sponsorship that no one can complain about as
everyone loves babies.
Nuby ticks all the boxes and will be investing an additional 20% of the sponsorship fee to support the
continued growth of women’s football, focusing on the under 21’s and emerging talent which fits in so
well with the overall partnership.
Lots of scope here with “cups” and the player of the match in the Barclays Women Championship for
Sunderland will be awarded the “Nuby Incredible Gulp Cup”.
8) Rezzil and the Premier League – Playing the long game in Virtual Reality
Go deeper into this partnership and what might seem to the naked eye as a licensing deal is much
more strategic and potentially richer than just the sale of Premier League IP to a product category.
The Premier League has taken an equity stake in Rezzil, a Manchester based VR software firm
besides forming a four-year partnership.
This software requires a headset and through VR it will develop from currently assisting clubs with
training and game analysis into a fan engagement experience through a new VR game.
The Premier League has “form” in gaming. The long-term partnership with EA Sports puts the 20
clubs into “the game” and also includes the popular and free-to-play fantasy football game based on
the Premier League’s 380 real games.
It is hard for any rights owner to keep pace with technology. This original B2B relationship could well
become an integral part of the much sought-after out of stadium fan engagement, with the
development of a VR game that places users on the pitch to recreate those great moments.
Looking further ahead with the Premier League taking production of their matches in-house this equity
play with Rezzil could parachute the League into more D2C revenues.
This is the link to the game here.
9) Strauss and Major League Baseball – Raise your helmet the next time you score a “Home Run”
You have to ask why this was not done before?
Strauss, a German workwear multi-national has found a natural fit to put their logo on the batter’s
helmets. In the UK, players have their own endorsement deals whether boots, gloves, bats or helmets
in cricket. The different model of US sports leagues enables the manufacturers to work on
league-wide exclusivity across every single player. The MLB currently has 35 sponsors. Now they
have an Official Helmet partner.
This four-year deal was created by an agency called Tigertail and according to David Cipullo who
previously worked at Liverpool FC, it is the best return of any deal he has ever done in terms of
exposure! Strauss are also heavily involved with European Football with their partnership with UEFA.
Their takeover of the helmets has not pleased everyone and some fans have voiced their opinion that
this is too commercial. However, fans do get used to new assets being sponsored and whilst Strauss
do not actually make the helmets, the association is there for everyone to see.
Also, Strauss wanted to expand into the US and what an innovative way to do it for a brand that was
unknown.
Highlights here.
Background here.
10) Who Gives A Crap and Lewes FC – Not the best team on paper but the best paper on a team.
I would hope that this deal would make most Top 10 lists at least in the UK but I have to confess that I
left the toilet seat up to broker this gem of a partnership myself.
Lewes FC now has eco-friendly “Who Gives A Crap” (WGAC) on the front of its shirts and also in
other parts of the ground - you can guess where…
This two-year collaboration reflected both organisations' commitment to social impact and
sustainability, with WGAC dedicating 50% of its profits to providing access to clean water and
sanitation worldwide. Lewes FC are representing the women’s game with their equality movement,
especially around the Women’s FA Cup prize money.
Simon Dent, who founded Dark Horses, alerted me to Lewes FC at a time when ex-Deliveroo
Marketing Director, Emily Kraftman was settling into an MD role at WGAC. After a few attempts I
finally was able to introduce Stef McLoughlin to Emily. By this stage, Stef felt strongly that WGAC
was the best fit they could ever have for their front of shirt and her enthusiasm was infectious.
Australian founded, WGAC are new to sponsorship and were very clear that they were looking for
something they could amplify. They are genuine disruptors to the toilet roll giants and known for their
creativity and humour.
Their recent growth has been based on extremely clever marketing in a fairly dull product area. They
also use their advertising and packaging to make it widely known that they are investing half their
profits to help deprived communities who do not have clean water and hygienic toilet facilities.
Gary Linke has delivered and/or renewed over 50 properties in his 20 years at the sharp end of the sports business, from naming rights, event and team partnerships and licensing programmes. You can contact him via TheMissingLinke.com
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